These Sunlight Dreams
by villainoustides
Summary: snippets of alternate universes or other points of view in dreaming of sunshine. (a fanfic of a fanfic, fanception.)
1. Kakashi Hatake: Deathless

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Kakashi Hatake was not meant to live a long life.

Active shinobi, in general, were not meant to live past the age of thirty-five—there are few exceptions but those are powerful shinobi and he might be one of Konoha's Elite Jounin but he cannot match a Sannin in his current state. He's lived a life of war, of shattering and slowly putting oneself back together only to break again, it was the life of all shinobi and it did not lead to longevity. But, he in particular, was not meant to live long.

He was the prodigy of his age, jounin at ten and ANBU Captain at thirteen, with more 'kill on sight' orders than just about anyone else still living. There were, and would always be, many people who wanted his head presented to them on a silver platter. Kakashi Hatake was never meant to see a day past his twenties.

And he never intended to in the first place, but somehow, it happened.

The only reason why he continued to live was not even of his own will, his own wishes. (He had, in the quiet of missions, overlooking the night, wished to see his precious people once more but he knew he had to protect their dreams. He would die when it was his time but never by his own hand.) For the village's sake, his sensei's legacy and his sensei's child, he continued to look forward but never too far ahead with how much he continued to look back. The amount of times he placed his own life in danger, reckless and unafraid of death, was uncountable and enough so that the Hokage saw his best asset in danger and ripped him out of his own environment.

Kakashi Hatake was born to war and blood and lightning.

And yet, he settled.

Because Kakashi Hatake was never truly living during those times. He simply existed, waxed and waned as seasons passed by, as he lead himself through the winding path of life—mindlessly meandering as he made sure his village continued to stand. Mission after mission after mission. Failing one team after another. There were days he simply stood in front of the memorial stone and there were others where he watched his sensei's legacy paint Konoha in yellow, and not a single moment remained tinged in the colour of the _future_ and simply stained with paintings of the past.

Until one day, the grey over his eyes shattered.

Because the Hokage was a smart, smart man and placed the future in the hands of Konoha's best asset at the best moment when he was still in the middle of waning.

Kakashi Hatake received the one team he could not, _would not and wouldn't be able to_ , fail.

Team Seven; Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and Shikako Nara.

 **His** students.

His students that made him understand exactly _why_ his sensei and Obito always looked ahead instead of back, made him understand the pride of being a teacher and a _leader._ He understood that sentiment his sensei had when talking about a better Konoha and Jiraiya's dream of peace between the Five Elemental Nations. He held the delicate future in his hands, so bright and so full of potential, and he just wanted his students to be _safe_. He wanted to see his students grow and become everything they were meant to be—see them grow old, shoot past the age of thirty-five. He didn't want to see their strings cut short, see their wings clipped and torn. Some days, he wished he could shield them from the world as he tossed them straight into the wolf's den.

And Kakashi grew up knowing better than to think it would be easy yet, he still found himself surprised at every turn.

Surprised at how much the world wished to steal away all his precious people despite the amount they've already taken.

The arrival of Orochimaru and his goals for Sasuke rattled the boat. The Akatsuki and their intentions with the Bijuu and therefore, Naruto, shook him to the core. Shikako and her success motivated by an unknown fear was the most worrisome of all. His students were plagued by their own demons, just as much as he was, and just like him, they would always have a target on their back. They could never truly look forward if they always had to worry about their back and yet, they never did. Because, somehow, Kakashi managed to do something right in his life and his team was truly _a team._

They watched each other's backs and his—but they couldn't always protect each other at their level.

So he pushed and pushed and pushed, poured every ounce of knowledge that he had into them, and tried his best to be the sensei they deserved. Not once did they falter, and Kakashi never voiced it, but he was proud as he looked upon them training until they were bone weary and broken down. Team Seven was not perfect, Team Seven would not go undefeated, but that was not what he wanted. Team Seven just had to survive and that's all Kakashi needed.

But even that, in the world of shinobi, was a hard task.

Sasuke nearly died on their first mission outside of Konoha.

Naruto almost died saving his teammate and would have if not for the Kyuubi.

And Shikako...

Shikako continuously danced with life and death, crossing over one line then the next; in Sand, in the Hokage's office, in Grass right in front of him. She never lingered too long on the other side, but some day, she just might stay and Kakashi feared that day, because Team Seven wouldn't just crack. Team Seven would shatter without all four of them _there._

Kakashi had always thought he would have to bury his students.

There are nights the thoughts plagued him so deeply he could do nothing but stare at the ceiling. He always worried that one day he left on a mission and would come back to the news of one of his students _dead._ Shikako sacrificing her own life to save another's or Sasuke's life and body stolen by Orochimaru or Naruto being captured by the Akatsuki, never to be seen again. He never once thought it would be him that would make Team Seven's four become three, permanently.

Now, here he was, on the verge of death because of Obito's Sharingan.

He wanted to laugh at the irony.

All his life, he knew he wasn't meant to see a day past twenty, and yet here he was, surprised at the announcement of his own death.

Surprised it was going to be him that fell to the ground first among the Lucky Sevens.

And for once, when he wished to live and to continue on for more than the sake of his village. For his students, stars in the dark, dark sky of his night and for their futures.

When Kakashi Hatake finally found something to live for…

...he was hurdling towards death.

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Kakashi is literally my favourite character in the DOS!Canon hands down. I think next would be Shikaku or Shikako.


	2. Neji Hyuga: Shinobi

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There is nothing much of note with the rookies entering the exams alongside his team.

They're three team of the many competing but in the fodder is one made of prime material to learn of his own strength. Sasuke Uchiha with his Sharingan will give him a challenge, at least. He's destined for greatness with a dojutsu like his and he's heard many rumors of him being the Rookie of the Year, the prodigy of their generation. Their generation full of clan heirs but no one truly of note.

He ignores everyone else but the one person who has the potential, the fate, to meet his match; Sasuke Uchiha.

He allows Lee to test him first because if he cannot beat Lee, there is no point in even trying.

His teammate runs back into the exam room, a blur amongst the crowd, and he simply stares without a word.

"Well?" Tenten crosses her arms.

"I won!" Lee smiled and put his thumb up.

There's a hint of disappointment but he expects nothing less, their team is a year above theirs, but destiny will place the Uchiha over Lee. It is the order of life, the way of ninja; those with bloodlines will always triumph those without. The entire room is full of shinobi from all over but his eyes, even without the Byakugan, can see through many of them; too weak to survive in a world like theirs. He turns back to his team and doesn't allow them to even register.

The first exam is but a breeze as his Byakugan is the advantage, as it always is.

The only notable thing is that he almost laughs at the blond on Team Seven when he stands up from his seat and yells, voice echoing in a silent room.

 _Fate does not stand on the side of people like you._

They pass, nonetheless, because tests in the world of shinobi is not always as it seems.

What he remembers the most is the second exam; the thrill and fire of tracking down scrolls, of fights with other genin, and the memory most stark against his mind is when they stumble across Team Seven. They are fellow shinobi of Konoha but this is a test and if they cannot stand up to them, then they do not deserve to be chunin. He watches them and they send Lee; the only one still standing is the Nara girl. He can easily defeat her, in any state, but he doubts that she will fight him at all.

But Lee stops in the trees.

A team from Hidden Sound erupts from the treeline adjacent to Lee. He can see his teammate ready to react but there is no reason to; the Nara girl stalls them, a plan forming in her head, and she takes control of the other team's kunoichi. She knows what she's doing, there is that. She is a Nara and they are full of mind traps ready to spring in spite of doubts. And perhaps, he grudgingly admits, he underestimated her.

And then, the girl surprises him again.

She kills the Sound kunoichi, and there is no thought in her face, she is a blank canvas as she uses the dead body through her Shadow Possession and drops it without a care when it becomes useless. They fight to kill, and she does not seem surprised, never pulling a single attack. The fight moves fast, kunai and jutsu flying through the air, traps springing and she must cast a genjutsu for he cannot see what the Sound team runs from.

The girl kills them without flinching and their bodies hit the ground, a mere thump in the dirt. All their life reduced to a simple sound.

Lee hesitates in the trees but jumps into the clearing when the Nara girl turns her face his general direction. There is a tense line remaining in Lee's shoulders, something he can't quite recognize...perhaps it is regret which does not belong on the battlefield. He tells Tenten nothing of it. The scroll belonging to the Sound team is a Heaven scroll, nothing they need, and Lee tosses it towards the Nara girl. He opens his mouth to say something but stops himself short.

He blinks and Lee returns within moments as he tries to process exactly what he's seen, pulling himself away from the clearing where Team Seven and now Team Ten stays.

"Let's go," he says shortly, "the girl's brother is on the other team. We have no need to give them aid."

They are shinobi, first and foremost, where survival and the mission is their priority—but he files away the information for later examination. She is the first of their year to kill, even before anyone in his team, and he never sees it coming. He had thought he, or Lee, would need to intervene as a fellow Konohan shinobi but she acted before he even could try. He had focused too much on the Uchiha and even the blond annoyance caught his attention more than the Nara.

And yet, she is the one that stands victorious against three other genin.

He knows better now.

She is a possible opponent he needs to watch.

( _He realizes, now, that he doesn't even know her name._ )

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The next time he hears about her, his entire perspective's changed, and he sees much more than he once did.

The exams are over and he's heard many stories about the events after the invasion by Hidden Sand and Sound. There are whispers about Orochimaru and everyone knows that the Hokage has fallen, but those are not his concerns as of the moment. He is a genin and these matters are much above him. His thoughts are more about himself and his being as a Hyuga.

Naruto Uzumaki is at the root of it all, but he knows that girl plays a much bigger role than anyone else can suspect. He has seen her, and heard rumors about, aiding several of her yearmates with the third exams. He's sitting in a full teahouse, waiting for Tenten, and watching the people pass by. Everyday since the exams have been a struggle in identity, of wondering what he is without fate, but he's healing his image of the world straightened out for him. He blinks when he sees a head of indigo ducking into the teahouse with an Inuzuka and an Aburame following closely behind.

There is no other person within Konoha with hair like the early night sky; the late Himawari Hyuga was the last before Hinata-sama.

He does not look at them but it doesn't matter because they are within hearing range and he cannot help but overhear everything including their order of tea and sticky buns. He remembers that Hinata-sama favors those and his thoughts end when the muse of his previous thoughts come up in their conversation. He is a shinobi with superior hearing to civilians; he cannot help but listen when they're within range.

"Shikako-chan, she killed nine shinobi when we were chasing after Gaara," Hinata-sama says quietly, hands twisting in her sleeves as her team waits for their order, "and she faced Orochimaru in the second exam."

Her teammate, the Inuzuka, snorts. "We're falling behind but we'll catch up to Team Seven. We just have to train harder."

Neji knows that Hinata-sama does not mean what the Inuzuka speaks of but the boy is much smarter than given credit for; it is unwise to discuss such things in public.

"I must agree with Kiba," her other teammate, the Aburame, pushes up his glasses, "why? Because, we did not see this coming and Team Seven advanced much too quickly than we expected. Our friends have grown but we will too with training."

Perhaps, he should feel guilty over this invasion of privacy but he doesn't care when he hears Shikako's brought up in conversation. He's curious and it is a vice of his clan; no Hyuga with pride would admit to it but the reason why they never ask questions outside of the clan is simply because everyone in their clan knows about any event that occurs within the walls of their city. Konoha is full of gossips but their clan has the advantage in the field for never appearing to listen to conversations. People always speak around them but never check to see if they're listening because they assume the Hyuga will not care. They are wrong but it is their advantage.

"Even our little deadlast." The Inuzuka leans back into his chair. "He beat Gaara and Neji in the same day."

"N-Naruto-kun's always been strong." Hinata-sama pokes her fingers together, face running red.

The Inuzuka laughs. "I guess you always see more than we do, eh, Hinata!" But the Inuzuka sobers. "I hope Shikako made the right choice."

"I do not doubt her. Why? Because she is fully aware of the consequences and is more capable than we previously thought." The Aburame says matter of factly.

"K.O Shikako!" The Inuzuka laughs and scratches the ear of his nin-dog. "I can't believe we have to catch up with her. She's grown, that's for sure."

Tenten enters the teahouse quietly and cuts off his chances of listening into the conversation.

They speak and he learns about Lee's condition, a tinge of regret in his thoughts, but he also hears about Shikako Nara's team splintering with her and Team Seven's sensei in the hospital. They are to take the Uchiha on their team, temporarily, until Naruto comes back and Shikako is healed. No one is quite sure of the details but he suspects there is something deeper to everything occurring but Tenten is not one to dig where she is not welcome and he would not ask it of her.

He withdraws back to the Hyuga compound and out of the teahouse, navigating his way through the rubble and destruction and civilians until he reaches the winding halls of their home. He has a lot to think about in the coming days, too many revelations thrown into his face, and this is one of them. Shikako Nara spiked his interest in the second exams and when she heals, he'll watch her.

She is dangerous, but not in the way powerful genin are.

She seems harmless, unable to defend herself, and yet she has the potential to shred people into ribbons without flinching—just like Gai-sensei and his rival, Kakashi Hatake. They are the Elite Jounin of Konoha and he knows, with a bone deep surety not made of fate but of truth, that she will become one of them.

The others may focus on Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, but he knows better and keeps his eye on Shikako Nara.

He remembers her face from the second exams when she took down the Hidden Sound team; the cold detachment mixing with fear settling in her face. The lack of remorse or regret in the aftermath as he kept his eye on her when they ran. He doubts the nine others she's killed were as hard and this is the reason why she will overcome the many obstacles in the battlefield that is their life as ninja.

There are shinobi and then, there are _shinobi._

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unbeta'd. please review and validate me.


	3. Neji Hyuga: Wonder

Dreaming of Sunshine belongs to Silver Queen and anything, Shikako and lots of dialogue, belongs to her!

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Neji hears more rumors about Shikako than he sees her, these days.

It's not that much of a surprise since their village needs every able bodied shinobi running missions, to keep up the front of being unaffected by the invasion, and he is included on that front. Everything is beginning to ease with their new Hokage established but the supreme shinobi law is if something hasn't happened, it's a matter of time that it will.

But that is not the current matter.

He wants to know, exactly, what happened that caused Team Seven to temporarily splinter. He knows it has something to do with the Uchiha considering the tense energy and extreme bitterness during their training sessions and missions together. Perhaps, he lets his mind wander, it has something to do with a more personal aspect of their team.

There are not many who can down Kakashi Hatake; but he can think of some, and one of them was sighted in Konoha, according to the gossip lines.

Uchiha Itachi.

He can sympathize, grudgingly, with the Uchiha's anger and plight but it doesn't change the fact his temper sparks his annoyance, if ever so slightly.

Perhaps, it is an under-exaggeration considering the amount of times Tenten and Gai-sensei needed to act as a mediator.

Gai-sensei doesn't answer questions and if one deigns to ask, he warps the conversation to training, but he seems to know more than he lets on. Team Nine knows that he is always like that; speaking in layers, speaking but not letting you hear what he says. Neji hears more whispers of the incident from Ino Yamanaka, in passing, and if she speaks of it, then it is a confirmation.

(Neji makes a silent promise to, at the very least, try to protect his fellow Konoha shinobi.

The Hyuuga are loyal to their village and it's people, first and foremost.)

But, that is no longer a worry for their new Hokage is a miracle worker. The Tsunade Senju, the Princess of Konoha, came in a whirlwind with Naruto at her tail and he remembers quite well for his ribs still feel an ache from Tenten's excitement at the announcement. Shikako has just healed but taken off active duty as of the moment-he knows from the moment it happens considering it was in the middle of a training session when Gai-sensei informs their team and the Uchiha disappears without so much as a word to them. He remembers every aggravating mission and training session with the Uchiha and he's thankful for the reprieve.

If Shikako is healed and Lee is as well.

A long, agonizing wait of a surgery with a very high chance of failure. He still has marks from Tenten's worrying hands clasping his forearms, remnants of nail marks fading, and he hadn't complained. He had a hint of worry in him at the time, even if he will never admit it. Neji has never hated Lee, simply...misunderstood and misunderstood in return. He has never truly wished harm upon his teammates.

(And in the deep of the night, when no one is looking, he regrets ever laying a hand on his cousin that he used to love, dearly. He had acted out of anger; wanted to do more than disable her, wanted to _hurt,_ and protecting her will be his penance. The Hyuuga are cold people, but deep in their hearts, they are from the Land of Fire and they burn like all their comrades. Their love is no different from theirs, despite how it's shown. He will spend the rest of his life apologizing to Hinata-sama, in silence for it is the only way he knows how to. Her forgiveness will mean something one day, when she is no longer suffering.)

He is almost thankful when Lee returns and Team Seven is reunited.

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The next time he sees Team Seven, it is under grim circumstances.

It seems that every time they meet, they're waiting for something greater to disrupt them.

The Rookie Twelve (bar Hinata, Shino, and the rest of his team) are gathered for a mission with the head of Torture and Interrogation for Team Seven's sake and it is to cow the plans of an S-Rank missing nin, Orochimaru, and his shinobi from Hidden Sound. He wonders; how exactly does Team Seven manage to encounter such...such unbelievable events and circumstances in their life, constantly? Even as a fellow nin, Neji cannot fathom how they continuously run into such problems while the rest of them, when not with Team Seven, do not.

He's heard many stories; they come around too often not to be true.

And it shows when Shikako takes the reins from Ibiki, establishing that she may be one of the lowest ranking shinobi as of the moment, but she has experience as the lead of Team Seven. She is not new to the idea of an A-rank mission and he keeps silent, with intent.

"Chouji and Ino need to be teamed with Shikamaru and I for the best effect," she says, surely with her dark and heavy eyes glancing over them. Her thoughts fly through her gaze, a whirlwind. "Chouji with Shikamaru, and Ino with me, probably, since I hae more close quarter abilities. Neji's Byakugan is probably more useful to the team leader, but that leaves Naruto and Kiba...so Naruto and Neji together and that'd leave Kiba with Ibiki."

Shikako formulates and gives out the orders, more natural to her than anything he's seen before, but she withdraws back into herself when she realizes that they're all watching intensely. He's trying to peel back her layer and understand her, the others are more curious and assessing.

"Or whatever you suggest." She shifts, uncomfortable now that she is more aware of her surroundings.

He settles back, satisfied.

She will be an Elite Jounin, five years from now, as there is no other path for her.

(He's willing to put money on it, and Hyuugas do not make bets.)

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Jiroubou is a difficult opponent.

Alone, he could have defeated him, but not without injury. Tenten joins and they are teammates for a reason; the task is split, evenly, between them and they dispatch Jiroubou with the typical weave of close and long distance attacks. They never give him a chance to breathe and it isn't until long before they have a captive to return to their village with. His Hyuuga eyes see, more than he lets on, even as he returns to Konoha.

Hinata-sama beats him for range, but he can make out the faintest hints of the battle between Shikako, Kiba and another. He will be of no use to them when they need the rest of the Sound Four for interrogation but he did wish, as did Tenten, that he could be of more help.

The fight leaves him with injuries, much less severe than what he knows of Chouji Akimichi and others who participated in the fight against the Sound Four. He is in the hospital bed for no longer than half an hour before he is gone and sent off with a warning to rest. He wanders the halls of the hospital, checking in on his teammates and the rest of the Rookie Nine as they file into the hospital. He knows that Hinata-sama's teammate, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shikako suffer from damage more severe than the others.

He does not expect to see the two, and the Uchiha is whisked away before he can even lay eyes on him. The rest of the Rookies are waiting together, listening for the outcome, because their mission can only be a success if everyone survives. He leans against the wall with Hinata-sama by his side and they should return to the compound but he knows that she will refuse until she hears what she needs to. It is not his place to force her so he leans against the hospital wall.

There are words he wishes to hear, too, he admits to himself.

They barely need updates considering all the gossip floating in from the medic-nin bustling about, their words too low for civilian ears but loud enough for them to pick out each and every word. He pays more attention when he hears Nara, however.

"Her chakra readings were in the single digits!" The furtive whisper does nothing for the surrounding ninja who have much superior hearing than the average person.

The entire group of Rookies tense.

"I can't believe..."

"Shikako Nara, right?" It's a shocked murmur that does not betray the identity of the speaker, but he has no interest in the nurses besides the subject they're speaking about. He's content to listen without investigating, head tilting against the walls. "No one will believe this...I've never seen reading this low and she's alive. It has to be a record."

"We shouldn't have made Shikako walk on her own." Hinata-sama's voice is small, hints of a stammer.

Neji wants to sigh when they finally hear about Kiba and the rest of the Rookies in terrible condition.

"Hiashi-sama must be waiting," he says, trying to urge her to return, "it is nearly time for dinner, Hinata-sama."

She acquiesced, with much hesitation, but they return to the Hyuuga compound. They are now behind walls that are safe, where he no longer has to worry, where he can forget (for a second) that he is a shinobi.

He wonders if Shikako ever forgets that she is a shinobi.

(From what he hears, from every side, from every story, the answer is a no. He wonders how she does it.)

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He meets her again in the hospital, always passing but never colliding.

There is no reason to approach her, despite his curiosity. He finds it's satiated enough with the amount of gossip constantly surrounding her. There is never a day where he does not hear her name in a conversation. Tsunade-sama tasks him with finding the Rookies that went on the mission and he runs into her at the hospital.

In the almost literal sense.

She almost hits him with a door and runs into him herself.

"Sorry," she says, flushing, much less grace than usual.

"Hokage-sama has sent me to inform you that we will be debriefing in an hour in conference room seven, now that everyone is awake."

"Everyone?" She nods, almost absent-minded, before she sharpens to attention. "Ino is awake?"

"I have no more information than that." He wants to apologize but that is no fault of his own. They will not give him more information than he needs.

"Thank you."

Her gaze is considering in ways her words are not; they're short, but polite. He expects nothing less from her; it seems that she is, at the very least, always polite when possible. This, however, is not the end of their conversation. There is more he wishes to know and he does not know how to ask, per se. He hesitates before he steels himself; tentativity is not in his nature, not in the Hyuuga blood.

"I have heard," he says, treading carefully with his words, "that Hinata-sama was one of those that assisted you."

Neji knows that she will understand.

"She did. She was brilliant." Her gaze is as sharp as a knife, voice firm as metal. There are no doubts in her about Hinata-sama's abilities and use as a kunoichi of Konoha. "If it hadn't been for her arrival, both Kiba and I would be dead and Sasuke would be gone."

"Hiashi-sama was," he paused before plowing forward as neutrally as possible, "not pleased at her impulsive actions."

Her eyes narrow. "He should be. She fought Kimimaro one on one and was barely injured where the rest of us nearly died. She was brilliant."

He is glad that while he was not protecting Hinata-sama, while he might not be there, that she has people like Shikako on her side. Perhaps, he will never fully entrust Hinata-sama to others but he can count on them to watch her when he cannot. He is trying to be better, to do better, and these are the first steps.

There is no reason to linger any longer for he will see her again, soon, but he walks away as if it will be another lifetime between them. In some ways, he always walks away from her, the slightest bit changed.

Something about Shikako Nara...makes him wonder, always.

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The debriefing is smoother than he suspected it would be, despite some rude awakenings.

Like the fact Hinata-sama, despite her demeanor, is much more talented than any Hyuuga within the clan gives her credit for. A fact that does not seem to surprise Shikako Nara, at all, considering the amount of indifference she has towards the revelations. It seems that many things, unless threatening those around her, do not obstruct her strides. He learns, of his wrongs and rights and dark secrets he would have never uncovered on his own, in the debriefing. There are slights he will have to make reparations for, slights he was not aware he made.

The revelation of Naruto as the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki surprises many that are not close to him; Hinata-sama seems much less surprised than her teammate, and those heavily involved in taking down Gaara of the Sand are much less shocked than his team. It is not an easy revelation to hear or uncover, considering the forced smile of Naruto.

"To carry a seal that can never be removed," he echoes his past self, feeling more foolish as the pieces fall into place. "I see. I apologize."

 _You are much greater than I ever suspected, Naruto._ The Rookie Nine forgives much too easily for Naruto smiles at him as if he's done no wrong.

When it is his turn, he speaks shortly and concisely. There is not much to tell with what he did compared to the others; there were no complications in light of what he knows about Kimimaro and the much needed arrival of the Sand Siblings. Team Nine is a team for a reason; two out of three is good enough to take down someone of Jiroubou's level. There were never any worries about them.

He finishes and Tsunade-sama shifts the focus of gazes back to Shikako and Hinata; where everything he knows continues to unravel.

His belief are mere ribbons now.

"I intercepted several attacks," Hinata-sama says so softly, her stutter is almost unnoticeable. "Both Shikako and Kiba were heavily injured, a-and...I didn't do very well, but then Lee came."

"If you don't mind me asking," Shikako intercepts, expertly, and her gaze is so piercing and knowing that he wants to urge himself to look away. "What was the attack you used…Protection of…"

She nudges, she posits Hinata-sama ever so gently, as if there are no others in the room. A bolster of confidence for his cousin to lean upon.

Hinata-sama is poking her fingers together, looking down as she fidgets. "Protection of the Eight Trigrams; Sixty Four Palms." She steels herself despite her stammer. "I-it is my failing that I cannot use the Kaiten, b-but I will not give up!" She looks up; a hint of fire in her cold (yet warm) Hyuuga eyes. "So I trained very hard and I created my own defence."

And his world falls, ever so slightly.

Among the many clan children in the room, all should know the magnitude of changing the Gentle Fist or creating new techniques. There is no such thing, not in the many years since it's creation. Their clan is saturated with traditions and new techniques are rare, especially those made of the Eight Trigrams. He does not know what to think, and many people in the room do not either, but Shikako Nara must see more than his own eyes can for there is no surprise. She seems...as if she expects Hinata to be more than what everyone believe of her. Even her teammate shows more surprise than she does and he trains with her, almost daily.

The debriefing is concluded, and Neji leaves with Hinata-sama to the compound. Silent as he deliberates on his next actions. He wants to know more about the Protection of the Eight Trigrams, wishes to see it in person, and to test it. Neji is only a genius for he tries; no matter what Lee says. He walks home, wondering about Shikako Nara, as he always does after an encounter with her.

There are so many questions, and so little answers.

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* * *

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Unbeta'd.

I think Neji/Shikako is cute. Sue me. Not v good but I tried. I lose character voices when it matters most and this is one of those times.


End file.
